


hey, Keith (i really, really, really like you)

by ShatterinSeconds



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Compliant, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Kinda, M/M, Time Loop, is set around s2 i guess tho it doesn't matter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-10-16 05:12:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17543336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShatterinSeconds/pseuds/ShatterinSeconds
Summary: Rocking on the heels of his feet, hands clasped behind his back, Lance speaks, “I’ve been in love with you since we met at the Garrison.” He grins as he finally reveals his deepest, darkest secret, turning on his heel before he can see the red paladin’s reaction. He hears it though, Keith’s confused and startled shouts ringing in his ears.“Excuse me!? Don’t you walk away from me, Lance!” Keith growls, “You don’t just dump something like that and leave. Asshole.”(Or Lance is stuck in a time loop and decides not to fix it but to work on another relationship instead)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I present to you my favorite concept for any sci fi show/story: the time loop. 
> 
> Influenced by the Dark Matter episode "All the Time in the World" 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

* * *

_‘I really really really really really really like you_

_And I want you, do you want me, do you want me too?’_

* * *

**i.**

On the third day of the time loop, Lance decides to forget about fixing it and start living. It’s not like anyone will remember what happens anyways once the day ends. He’s not quite sure how this whole loop began; he went to bed yesterday, woke up today, went through the whole exhausting sixteen or so hours, and then found himself back in his room to start it all over again. It’s boring, reliving the day two times already, and he has no idea how to correct the error--though Lance knows Pidge would probably have a solution to this mess, as she always does, he doubts he could get her to believe him in the allotted time.

And in all honesty, Lance doesn’t really want to try.

Laying in his bed, he mentally tracks the movements of his fellow paladins. Shiro, Coran, and Allura are eating dinner, Pidge and Hunk tinker with some of the new alien devices they picked up yesterday--or three days ago?--and Keith is most likely murdering a few more training bots instead of resting. Late at night already, the loop only having a few hours before it will reset, it may be too late to enact his insane plan, but as Lance steps out of his room, he spies Keith heading to the training room as expected, that mullet of his tied into a small ponytail though a few wisps have already broken free.

Lance follows him without a second thought.

 

The red paladin, in the midst of training with one of the Altean bots, has not yet noticed his audience of one, so Lance continues to watch, resting against the wall. Keith’s long hair fanning out when he leaps back from the bot’s blow, a small smile appears on Lance’s face, only for a moment, while tracking the movements of the elegant battle before him. The bot almost knocks Keith off his feet with a sweep of the staff but he lops off the bot’s leg instead as he slides under his opponent.

“Hey, Keith,” Lance pipes up, voice rising over the sound of a sword slicing through the pure white metal the bot is constructed out of. The simulation ends with Keith whirling around, sword raised in front, a startled frown on his face. He blinks when he realizes it’s just Lance but the frown remains.

“What do you want?”

Rocking on the heels of his feet, hands clasped behind his back, Lance speaks, “I’ve been in love with you since we met at the Garrison.” He grins as he finally reveals his deepest, darkest secret, turning on his heel before he can see the red paladin’s reaction. He hears it though, Keith’s confused and startled shouts ringing in his ears.

“Excuse me!? Don’t you walk away from me, Lance!” Keith growls, “You don’t just dump something like that and leave. Asshole.”

Already through the door, Lance doesn’t--won’t--turn around, but he can’t lie and say he’s not dying right now to see Keith’s face. Is he disgusted by Lance’s confession? Angry?... Pleased?

A hand grips his shoulder and suddenly he’s spun around to have a perfect view of Keith’s face. Wide eyes, dark hair framing his face in a frizzy, sweaty mess, and lips pressed into a confused pout. Lance isn’t sure if he’s disappointed that he can’t entirely read Keith’s face, not that that is much of a change from normal, though maybe he should be happy that outward anger hasn’t been plastered all over Keith’s features. His back grazes the wall as Keith continues to walk closer to him. "You're not just going to run away after that, Lance McClain."

The familiar, comforting weight of his flirtatious personality settles on Lance for a second, deciding to salvage this attempt in some way. With that decision, a coy smirk spreads across Lance’s lips. "Oh and why's that?"

His heart pounds with every second that it takes for Keith to say anything.

"Don't you want to hear my response?"

Now that surprises Lance, enough for that smirk to crack as his body tenses.

"Well I am mildly worried that it might be one I don't want to hear... so not really." Right now, Lance has forever to build up the courage to listen to Keith’s answer, and he’s not quite at that point yet. This hesitance doesn’t stop Keith who only quirks an eyebrow, confused by this action. Lance swallows hard.

"I thought you liked to take chances," is all that Keith says, attempting to find the root of the issue. Why can’t Keith just drop it and allow Lance to wait for the day to restart to try all over again?

Only being able to shrug, Lance’s shoulders slide up against the wall. "Sometimes a person's heart has been broken too many times."

"What if I promise that it’s going to be something good, something you'd _really_ want to hear?"

Lance’s mouth forms an ‘oh,’ and now this stupid idea of his to confess to Keith has gained some unexpected results. "Hm, now you have me intrigued, Keith. Spill it."

“You’re not the only one who’s had a crush this whole time,” Keith begins, much to Lance’s shock. He brushes back his bangs before setting soft eyes onto Lance’s hopeful face--he can’t help it anymore, ok; his crush might actually like him. “See there’s this pretty, no, beautiful asshole who I’ve had a secret crush on for awhile, and I just found out that they have a crush on me too. Now who does that sound like?”

A wicked grin flashes across Lance’s lips as he leans forward, hands pressed on the wall for support. He cocks his head. “You’ll have to spell it out for me. I’m a little distracted right now.”

“Hey, Lance,” Keith says, softer now, breath washing over Lance’s face as the other leans in. Fingers rest on the underside of Lance’s chin, a bridge between them. “I like you too.”

Lance only smiles as the day repeats again.

 

 

**ii.**

No fear of rejection anymore, Lance goes for it, unbridled confidence coursing through his body. This time he catches Keith earlier in the day, by-passing Shiro, who wears a concerned look for Lance’s enthusiasm, on his way to the lounge. The red paladin has one leg propped up on the back of the couch as he lies on his back with a book held in front of his face--Lance vaguely wonders where he even found such an item or if it had been stashed on his person when they left Earth. Either pretending not to have noticed Lance or so absorbed in that story that he actually didn’t hear the other paladin, Keith determinedly flips the page, eyes flickering over the words.

“Hey, Keith.” Lance arches over him before the other can say anything, lifting the book from his hands and placing a chaste kiss on those chapped lips.

It’s awkward to be honest, not because Keith doesn’t kiss back--he does, almost immediately, and that part is glorious--but Lance did not pick the best angle. The back of the couch digs into his stomach as he has to bend down, legs practically dangling in the air, to even reach Keith’s lips. Then there’s the fact that Keith grabs a fistful of Lance’s shirt to draw him closer only for Lance to lose his grip on the couch and topple onto Keith with a yelp. Both of them roll to the floor, a loud thump announcing their fall but at least Keith’s body makes a great cushion.

Embarrassed, Lance’s head falls against Keith’s chest, hoping, just hoping, the day repeats right now. That doesn’t happen. While lying on Keith, he basks in a quick fantasy that he didn’t just kiss his crush in such an unromantic fashion, berating himself on not sticking with the verbal confession. “Why me?” Lance mumbles. Maybe he shouldn’t have been quite so confident in himself.

Quiet chuckles and hands resting on Lance’s back bring him around, enough for him to lift his head to find Keith staring at him.

“What was that?” Keith asks casually but does not appear to be angry nor in a rush to push Lance off him. His chest heaves. It could just be a trick of the light, but Lance swears a cute blush stains Keith’s pale cheeks.

“Um, my clumsiness?” Lance teases, only for Keith to send him a deadpan stare. “Fine, I tried to kiss you, ok? Something I wanted to do since I saw your stupid mullet for the first time.”

“And they say I’m impulsive,” Keith laughs with a shake of his head, “Come here, asshole.” He drags Lance into a biting, breathy kiss, and the day finally rewinds much to Lance’s disappointment.  

 

 

**iii.**

Lance’s fingers drum against his leg, to the beat of a song he’s had stuck in his head since they left Earth--and since they’re kind of stuck out here in space, there isn’t any new material to drown it out. When he runs into Keith this time, it’s the afternoon and the other currently walks out of the showers after one of his mid morning training sessions. A towel is draped around Keith’s neck, his long, soaked hair leaving little droplets of water on the dark cloth. Lance is only a little ashamed to mentally admit that he had hoped Keith would have walked out in a just a towel and not already dressed.

But one can have fantasies.

As Lance waits close to the door, he quickly catches Keith before he can move too far down the hallway. “Hey, Keith, let’s go on a date.”

This variation of a similar phrase, as always, stops Keith in his tracks. His eyes flicker to where Lance stands, studying him with interest, while drying his hair with half of the towel. “Where’s this coming from all of a sudden?”

The calmness in Keith’s voice surprises Lance this time; a warm shower must have put him in a good mood. “Well a date is usually something people do when they like each other,” Lance finds himself explaining, not exactly answering the question.

Rolling his eyes, Keith replies, “Uh huh, I’m familiar with that custom. But who says I like you?”

Lance’s lips quirk. _You,_ he wants to reply but instead settles with the simple, “Please, it’s so _obvious_.”

“Oh.” Keith has yet to dry his bangs and little ribbons of water stream down his face and neck to pool on his collar bone. While watching the droplets, Lance’s eyes snag onto an embarrassed blush coloring Keith’s pale cheeks--flustered is a good color on him. “Alright.”

Having been distracted, Lance almost has to do a double take that Keith actually answered both relatively quickly and with an affirmative. Lance isn’t stupid enough to ask Keith to repeat his answer, in fear of the red paladin changing his mind. Recovering, he easily shoots Keith a set of finger guns and says, “Perfect, nine o’clock on the observatory.”

 

Part of Lance wants to whisk Keith away on the Blue Lion to some beautiful planet in the solar system they are currently flying through, but the observatory deck on the ship should be just as romantic. It will be just them surrounded by the faint lights of the castle ship and the millions of stars sprinkled throughout the darkness.

Around eight-thirty, Lance lays out blankets and pillows--pilfered from the others’ rooms--on the hard floor. It hadn’t been that difficult to make up an excuse to Hunk and Pidge, who’d been in the kitchen when he was searching for the goodies he hid behind a special compartment in the wall. Well, that’s a lie; Pidge probably suspects something, having eyed him while he stuffed the contents under his large jacket but simply gave the strange actions a shrug and dipped her finger into whatever batter Hunk was mixing.

As long as they leave him alone to woo Keith, Lance doesn’t really care what they think he is doing.

“What’s this? A picnic?” comes a voice as the set of doors slide close.

Lance’s head shoots up to find Keith standing only a few feet away from him. Surprisingly, Keith has changed his clothes from the afternoon; instead of his normal dark ensemble, he wears a long sleeve, maroon, button up. Lance would wonder where Keith found such a shirt if Lance also didn’t get his--a light blue polo--from the same place, ie Coran. Keith also tied his hair back into a ponytail, lifting those long locks away from his neck which only ends up enunciating his sharp jawline, much to Lance’s pleasure.  

Of course Keith is still wearing those stupid fingerless gloves.

“You’re early,” Lance frowns, brushing off his pants as he stands to greet his date. “I guess I’m just that irresistible.”

A slight smirk quirks Keith’s lips. “You were the one who asked me on the date, so clearly it’s the other way around.”

“Sounds fake,” Lance says, ardently shaking his head while leading Keith over to the blankets and pillows and picnic baskets.

“Alright, Lance,” Keith laughs, grabbing a hold of Lance’s outstretched hand, “I’ll let you enjoy that little fantasy of yours.”

When they sit, Keith immediately and eagerly digs through the basket, picking out one food after another. Sandwiches, chips, fruit--granted the chips are blue and the texture of rock candy and the fruit is vaguely spiraled shape, but it still looks appetizing.

“Where’d you find all this?” Keith inquiries with a raised eyebrow, tongue poking out the corner of his mouth as if wanting to lick his lips. Lance can practically hear his stomach growl.

“Let’s just say I was busy when I disappeared on our last supply run.” This was never supposed to be date food, more like a private stash for midnight snacks, but Lance can make sacrifices to impress Keith.

Keith holds up one of the last items that resembles the Earth dessert of cider donuts, except for the fact that they have a vague purple sheen to them. “And how do I know these aren’t some alien delicacies poisonous to humans?”

“Because I may have sampled a few or five when I got them.” Lance shrugs, feeling only a little guilty, but the alien donuts were good.

Keith shakes his head with a smile. “You’re crazy.”

Once all the food is laid out and they’ve begun sampling, Lance pulls out a few items from another basket. Something that looks and smells like champagne is poured into a glass Lance had handed Keith, fizzing as if it will overflow before the liquid settles down far below the rim. At least the amber coloring is correct.

“A toast to our first date?” Lance asks hesitantly, holding his own champagne glass in the air.

There’s a clink of glass as Keith adds his, his mumbled words of “And many more to come” almost hidden by the sound.

The food has all but disappeared by the time Lance’s stomach is close to aching and Keith sits closer to him--so close that Lance can guess what scented shampoo he used, lavender. They watch the stars together like the darkness of space is a movie. “Have you ever counted shoulders before?” Lance smirks with an idea, his head turning.

“Um no?”

Keith’s confusion only has Lance’s smile growing. “Let me show you.” He taps his own shoulders as ‘one,’ ‘two’ and then reaches over to Keith’s for ‘three’ before allowing his arm to fully rest along Keith’s shoulders for ‘four.’

“That was smooth,” Keith replies as he relaxes into Lance’s side, his own arm wrapping around the other’s waist and his head falls onto Lance’s shoulders, lips finding his neck. “Why aren’t you that smooth all the time?”

“First of all, I am,” Lance easily replies, only slightly offended, “and second, I’ve had a lot of practice recently.”

Keith eyes him, cataloging every inch of his face before those gray-violet eyes land on his lips. “Oh, really? Why don’t you show me what you’ve learned?”

Kissing begins soft and slow, lips never separating, and when Lance cups Keith’s face in his palms, he knows he holds the whole galaxy in his hands, a feeling that will cling to him through every reboot.

 

 

**iv.**

“Hey, Keith.” This will truly be Lance’s stupidest idea to date--even stupider than faking an illness for thirteen days straight, even more idiotic then deciding to confess to your crush over and over again. Yet, Lance buzzes with the unexpectedness of it all, with the hope of what if it all goes according to plan. “Let’s fuck.”

“Excuse me?”

He’ll admit that he could have been more elegant, but like the master he is, Lance continues to ramble on and not retreat. “I’m bored; you’re bored. I like you, and I’m _pretty_ sure you like me too so let’s have sex.”

Keith stares at him for a solid minute, those gray-violet eyes wide and confused before he blinks. It takes so long for Keith to voice any sort of response that Lance believes he’ll just be waiting, fingers tapping against his leg, until the time loop restarts again. After most likely deeming that Lance is serious with his offer, Keith voices one familiar word. “Alright.”

“Wow, really?” Eyes wide, Lance struggles not to stammer. As much as Lance likes to brag that he’s a genius with flirting, he honestly thought he was going to get slapped in the face for this brazen attempt. He’s only a little confused.

“You’re right that I’m bored,” Keith says as he stands, walking ever closer to Lance, and he gently grips Lance’s shirt, dragging him closer to that mouth. “And besides, I’ve been wanting to rock your world for a while.”

Knees weak, Lance tries not to drop on the floor right then and there. He mildly succeeds.

 

“So is this going to be a friends with benefits thing?” Keith asks as Lance nips the skin just below Keith’s ear. A rumble, possibly some version of a stifled moan, vibrates into Lance’s lips as Keith arches up to be closer to Lance. He slides his hands into Keith’s hair, wrapping every finger in those long--unfairly soft--locks to tug on. A quiet, hitched breath escapes from Keith when Lance’s fingers drag across his scalp.

They’re in Lance’s bedroom, the sheets a complete rumpled mess under them despite the fact that they currently haven’t passed the kissing stage. Keith lies under Lance, who practically straddles and is flushed with the red paladin’s body.

“Let’s not worry about labels right now,” Lance replies, knowing how useless that conversation will be, “Let’s just enjoy each other.”

“I can do that,” Keith says, already drawing Lance back to his mouth, biting on his bottom lip.

Keith’s hips grinding against his cause Lance to moan, the deep tone almost locked in the back of his throat as he has to close his eyes for a second. It’s almost too much. Sitting up, Keith drags Lance completely into his lap, hands trailing down towards his ass, lips tracing his jaw line.

“Your clothes are still on,” Keith mumbles, with a subtle growl in his throat--well it would have been subtle if those lips hadn’t been right next to Lance’s ear.

Lance hums, mouth twitching in amusement. “That bothers you?”

“Very much.” Without another thought, Lance’s shirt is ripped over his head, hair a mussed, fluffy mess before Keith’s fingers smooth it down. His hands begin to travel down the length of Lance’s body as Lance, almost unsuccessful, struggles with the task of riding Keith of his own shirt. By the time Keith’s hands reach the waistband on Lance’s jeans, hot palms pressed against his lower back, Keith’s chest is also bare, Lance’s mouth already attacking the smooth surface.

“Lance,” Keith says suddenly, lips ripping from Lance’s skin where a red mark already begins to form. “You have condoms and lube, right?”

Eyes blowing wide, Lance’s hands immediately fall from the zipper on Keith’s pants. “Oh shit.”

“Oh my God,” Keith laughs, chest heaving with the motion as his heads falls back onto the pillow. Lance can’t help but laugh alongside him. “You’re such an idiot. You didn’t plan this well, did you?”

“How was I supposed to know you’d say yes?” Lance retorts, outraged at himself for not preparing for this properly.  

Mirth swims in Keith’s eyes as he sends Lance a quiet, forgiving smile. “Maybe another night, ok?”

Still mentally slapping himself, Lance nods in agreement, landing with an exaggerated ‘oomph’ onto Keith. “Yeah, yeah that sounds good.” He picks his head up. “Will you stay though?”

“Of course.” He cards a hand through Lance’s hair, the action gentle and romantic.

As he lays there in Keith’s arms, Lance desperately wills the clock on the nightstand not to continue to keep time, but that’s an impossible wish. That warmth quickly leaves his side as he wakes up alone in his bed; at least the memories remain.

 

 

**x.**

“Hey, Keith,” Lance begins during a night of cuddling. For this repeat, Lance had confessed right after breakfast, too energized to wait until later. The entire day they had wandered around the castle, hand and hand, sharing special stories, and he hung on to every instance where he made Keith laugh. In these moments, it had actually been the first time Lance fully regretted not figuring out how to end the time loop--too late now. “Can I tell you something?”

Keith snuggles into Lance’s side, fluffy hair tickling Lance’s neck. They rest in Lance’s bedroom again, and he stares at the plastic glow stars he picked up at the space mall a few weeks ago. Lance had placed them in various fake constellations--a rabbit, a unicorn, a mermaid--which Keith teased him about once the lights had shut off and a pale green dusted his features.

Keith mumbles something unintelligible into Lance’s shirt which Lance understands as ‘sure.’

A deep breath hovers in Lance’s chest as he decides on the best way to explain what’s been happening to him. When he exhales, he speaks, “I’ve lived through various versions of this day probably more than ten times.”

Picking his head up, Keith stares, eyes narrowing as he determines whether Lance is telling the truth; it’s not as if they haven’t been through weirder shit though, so it shouldn’t be that shocking. “Really?”

“Yeah,” a quick chuckle eats Lance’s words for a moment. “How’d you think I knew the exact spot you liked to be kissed? That wasn’t a lucky guess. Contrary to popular belief, I am not _that_ gifted.”

Lance’s fingers drift to the spot near Keith’s jawline under his ear before dipping his lips to the exact area. A smirk slides across Keith’s skin when Lance feels the other breathy sigh. “I don’t know,” Keith whispers, “I kinda just assumed you _were_ just that good.”

“Damn,” Lance mumbles, “I shouldn’t have used that example.”

Drawing back, Keith rests his hands on the sides of Lance’s face, thumbs brushing across his freckled cheeks. “So say I believe you, this means you still remember everything but everyone else forgets? _I_ forget?”

“Yeah, I always have to start over,” Lance laughs, mostly at himself, “But it’s fun, watching your different reactions to things I say.”

“Have you at least tried to find a way to break it?” Keith has to ask, incredulously staring at Lance.

“Not really,” Lance mumbles into Keith’s side, ducking his head out of sight.

“Why?”

Though he speaks a little louder, Lance’s face is still smushed against the bedsheets. “I’ve been too busy seducing you.”

“ _Lance_.” Keith draws him back, fingers resting under his chin. He shakes his head. “That’s no way to live. Why do you suffer through only having a day with me when you could have a lifetime? You can’t go on like this forever.”

Because he’s a stupid idiot who’s fooled himself into thinking there’s no tomorrow and the day after and after. Today is safe; today can be redone if he fucks up. Tomorrow does not give him that option; yet it does give him infinite possibilities with Keith. “I know, I guess I’m just scared to mess up permanently with you. It’s like all these days were practice runs.”

“Well I’ll tell you a secret,” Keith begins, voice as strong as ever, the emotion in his eyes never wavering, “If you’re honest and be yourself, you could never mess up with me. I like you, remember? I always have.”

Lance sends him a soft smile, “I can do that.” A sweet kiss, almost like a goodbye, is pressed into Keith’s lips. “So how do you think I can fix this loop?”

Keith purses his lips in thought. “We picked up a lot of alien junk on our last supply run… Coran might know.” Suddenly his hands grip Lance’s waist to drag the other closer. Lance hooks his arms around Keith’s neck as their bodies mold together. “But that’s tomorrow’s problem.”

Another kiss completes the remaining gap.

 

* * *

 

**i.**

Once Lance wakes again, this time he heads directly towards Coran’s room, for the first time missing out on his conversation with Keith. They still end up passing each other in the hall, Keith’s hair swept up into a ponytail much like on the first day Lance decided to implement his stupid, but successful, plan.

“Sorry, Keith,” Lance says, rushing past the other on his way to the training room. “I got no time to woo you today.”

“What?”

But Lance is already around the next corner, eyes flickering over the various doors, trying to remember which one was Coran’s. After a few tries, doors opening to empty rooms, he finds his target already waiting when he knocks.

“Hello, Lance! What do you need today, another outfit for a second date?” Coran greets, allowing Lance into the room. It’s filled with all sorts of alien junk--some from 10,000 years ago and others from last week or even yesterday. Various piles are scattered around the room while some trinkets or photos hang on the wall. This will take forever to figure out.

Lance’s brain finally catches on to what Coran had said, and his head snaps to the Altean’s direction. “Huh? But you shouldn’t remember…. I asked you that like three loops ago.”

A knowing smile creeps up on Coran’s face, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “I was wondering when you’d fess up to being stuck in a time loop.”

“So you’re caught too?” With Coran’s nod, Lance ducks his head in shame. “Ah, I’m sorry for not helping you break it.”

“It’s alright. I know you had more important things to take care of.” Coran winks and Lance, completely embarrassed, doesn’t even attempt to cover the redness staining his cheeks and ears. “Besides I think I’ve already figured out that it’s caused by the clock we had picked up on the supply mission.”

Coran steps aside to reveal a small, antique looking clock, emitting a bright blue light behind the numbers. Before Lance had gone off on his own and discovered the food, he and Coran perused the flea market type area of the alien town. He specifically remembers being told not to touch one of the objects, and when the vendor turned their back, he stuck his tongue out at them and fiddled with the trinket anyways, which Coran then bought, being attracted to the mix of antique and futuristic elements.

“How do we end the loop?” Lance voices aloud, hoping that the problem has already been solved.

“I think we just have to destroy it,” Coran answers immediately and then shrugs, “but if that doesn’t work, we have forever to try again.”

Lance stares at the clock, hands stuffed in his jean pockets, before he looks back at Coran with a tilt of his head. “If you figured it out, why didn’t you already try it?”

“Honestly, I was waiting for you. I didn’t want to end the loop while you were in the middle of something,” Coran explains with another knowing glint in his eye--at least Lance has the approval of one teammate already. “Plus, I had a lot of time to get caught up on some holo-novels I’ve been meaning to read.”

“Oh,” Lance’s dark skin still retains a shade of pink, “Thanks for waiting.”

“Are we ready?” Coran asks, clock placed at their feet, and Lance firmly nods.

When they destroy the clock and Lance doesn’t immediately wake up in his bed again but remains in Coran’s room, he knows that the time loop is broken--there’s no fail safe now, but he goes for it anyways with a smile on his face.

 

“Hey, Keith,” Lance says as he jogs to catch up to the red paladin before he leaves the training room. He throws Keith a small smile. “Can we talk?”  

There’s surprise written in Keith’s eyes, but his lips twitch upwards. “Is this about the wooing comment earlier?” At Lance’s nod, he ducks his head, that twitch on his lips growing wider. “Sure.”

Lance holds out his hand and Keith doesn’t hesitate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm always open to writing a part 2 if there's interest, so let me know!
> 
> This fic happened for a lot of reasons. 1) I watched the Dark Matter episode and realized I've never read a Klance time loop fic, and 2) I've been in the mood for some s1-s2 Klance for a while. And 3) I also wanted to try and write a sex scene... but well, you saw what happened there which I actually enjoyed writing a lot more lol.
> 
> Please leave comments and kudos:)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shaking his head, Lance leans forward, lips curling. “You just can’t appreciate fine art, Keith.”
> 
> “I can appreciate fine art; I am right now,” he replies. He watches Lance’s eyes widen in realization and can practically see Lance’s breath catching in his chest. A genuine smile appears for a minute before it transforms into another devious smirk. 
> 
> “Oh, oh, so we’re pulling out the big guns now,” Lance says, “I can play too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a quick little sequel to the aftermath of everything. It’s really fluffy so I hope you all enjoy:D

 

There are days when Keith thinks everything is just one giant dream that he simultaneously does and doesn’t want to wake up from. Right now though, he hopes he never will. Lance rests in his arms, head laying on Keith’s chest and short hair fanning out around his head as he sleeps. Chest rising and falling, Keith watches Lance’s lips part, a bit of drool on his chin, and he has to roll his eyes because he can’t believe that he thinks the sight is actually adorable.

Clearly, he is more gone for this man than he ever realized before, and he honestly doesn’t mind. It’s... nice, for lack of a better adjective.  

With a click and the pair of doors sliding open, someone walks into the lounge, and, although he’s startled, Keith doesn’t even have the heart to throw Lance off of him to preserve their secret-not-secret relationship. They just haven’t told anybody yet; it’ll happen eventually, which seems to be today. 

Leaning on the back of the couch upon spotting the pair, a knowing smirk graces Shiro’s face as Keith directs his gaze upwards. “And what do we have here?”

Keith glares, a finger pressed to his lips for silence. “Not a word,” he quietly hisses.

Shiro raises his hands in surrender as he backs away. “Alright, but I can’t wait to hear about this later.”

Keith sticks his tongue out in response when the doors close behind Shiro, leaving them alone once again. Silence wraps a blanket around Keith, and his arms tightly curl around Lance’s body.

There had been a time loop incident, apparently, or that’s what both Lance and Coran have dubbed it. They filled the team in on vague details, about some clock and figuring out how to break it. Everyone had been satisfied with that explanation, but Keith had gotten the whole story--or most of it--from Lance behind closed doors. He had leaned back against Lance’s chest, listening to the tale while the other ran his fingers through Keith’s long hair. 

Keith is quite proud of his many time loop selves for just going for it; though maybe he has to thank Lance for being so brash and direct--Keith probably would have been too oblivious otherwise. Wait, he  _ knows  _ he would have been too oblivious.

But he can still tell that Lance didn’t even give  _ him  _ the full story--maybe even embellishing some details to appear more suave--vaguely ending his little monologue with,  _ “Oh and if we ever have sex, ask about condoms and lube  _ before  _ we get into it, alright?”  _ It had left Keith extremely baffled even to this day, which is really only five days or so in the future from that conversation.

Even at dinner Coran will constantly send Keith these weird, silly glances--maybe even a subtle thumbs up at one point--that freak Keith out more than they should, Coran’s eyes always flickering between him and Lance as if he  _ knows  _ something. 

He really needs to ask Lance about that too.

Time loops are weird. Keith feels like he has missed at least a week of pure chaos and he wasn’t even caught in one.

“H-hey,” Lance quietly mutters, groggy as he is slow to wake completely, “What day is it?” This question has become a habit of the blue paladin, who no longer trusts his own perception of time. 

Keith cards a hand through Lance’s hair, fingers threading through his locks, as he quickly answers. “You’ve only been asleep for two hours.”

“Two hours!?” Lance jolts up with Keith grunting in response when the heels of Lance’s palms dig into his chest as Lance stabilizes himself. “Why didn’t you wake me?” Then he ducks his gaze upon a sudden realization, asking one more question with a hint of shyness. “I-I’ve been sleeping on you that whole time?”

“Yeah.” Keith chuckles, his touch caressing Lance’s cheek when the other’s worried gaze lands on him. “Don’t worry, it’s alright.”

A bright smile joins Lance’s features, something Keith is glad for. He knows their relationship is new and fragile, and he’s always happy to make Lance feel at ease with him--besides, Lance’s body had acted like a perfectly warm blanket, and Keith may have dozed off for an hour as well. 

“Huh, who knew you’d love to cuddle?” Lance muses, eyes closing for a minute as he places a sweet kiss on Keith’s lips, a delayed greeting of sorts.

His fingers toy with the sort locks of hair by the nape of Lance’s neck, and as he stares at those wide, open eyes, still puffy from sleep, Keith finds a response. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me,  _ sweetheart. _ ”

“Like you flawlessly using pet names, good to know.” Lance smiles with a hint of a laugh waiting on his lips. A delicate blush coats his cheeks. “I can’t wait to learn it all.”

“We gotta leave some stuff a mystery,” Keith can’t help but reply, “But yeah, I can’t wait to learn all about you too.”

“You know,” Lance begins, quite hesitant though he leans into Keith’s hand as he repositions himself to comfortably straddle Keith’s lap, “Sometimes I’m afraid I’m gonna wake up and find out I’m not actually dating you.” 

“I might also have a similar fear,” Keith responds, staring into Lance’s eyes. The blue paladin smirks at that, and Keith can practically see the confidence oozing off him.

“Oh? Really? Hmm, guess I’m just too good to be true,” Lance muses, flattering himself, “Admit that I’m a catch.”

Keith stares for a moment before deadpanning, “You’re more of an eel than a prized tuna.”

Uncontrollable laughter fills the air as Lance’s hands curl into Keith’s shirt, preventing himself from falling off the couch--Keith won’t be shocked if that actually happens. “Did you just compare me to a fucking fish!?” Lance asks, disbelief shining in his eyes. “My God, why do I like you? You’re so unromantic.” Ducking his head again to try to contain this laughter, short brown locks hang in Lance’s eyes that has Keith itching to push them away from his face.

Instead, Keith says, “Please, you think those pick-up lines of yours are any more romantic?”

Lance’s chest heaves from the previous spectacle as he becomes even more fake-outraged. “Come on, ‘are you an alien ‘cause your ass is out of this world’ is a goddamn classic.”

“It’s really not.”

Shaking his head, Lance leans forward, lips curling. “You just can’t appreciate fine art, Keith.”

“I can appreciate fine art; I am right now,” he replies. Keith watches Lance’s eyes widen in realization and can practically see his breath catching in his chest. A genuine smile appears for a minute before it transforms into another devious smirk. 

“Oh, oh, so we’re pulling out the big guns now,” Lance says, “I can play too.” He stares at Keith, fingers tracing his features, tangling in with his hair as Lance loops some longer strands behind Keith’s ear. He leans in even closer, so his lips are just an inch from Keith’s skin, mirth alight in his blue irises. “You’re beautiful. More so than any famous masterpiece.”

Red burns his cheeks and down his neck and even all the way over to his ears, though luckily they are hidden by his hair. Keith blinks for a second as he tries to regain some semblance of composure. “I--I--”

“Haha!” Lance hollers, throwing his arms into the air. “I won! You’re speechless!”

“You’re an ass.”  _ Now  _ Keith finds his voice, and his eyes narrow into an unamused glare. He gently wacks Lance on the arm. Yet, despite whatever game Lance is playing by himself, Keith understands that the comment had been an honest one; blush remains on his pale skin to prove it.

“Maybe…” Lance trails off as he comes down off his high, “but you love me just the same.”

“Do I?”

“Aw, don’t be like that. I know you do, ‘cause I love you too,” Lance practically sings.

“Hmm, I still don’t recall ever saying it,” Keith continues to tease.

Lance juts out his bottom lip, a bit of real worry in his eyes as he whines, “Keeith…”

Suddenly, Keith cups Lance’s face, angling the blue paladin’s head to look him directly in the eyes. His thumb lightly brushes over a freckled cheek. “Hey, Lance,” Keith says to him, breathily and head tilted to the side, “I love you so much.”

When Lance finds any possible responses caught in his throat, Keith can’t help but cackle before kissing him until time no longer matters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And then Pidge and Hunk walk in and their secret-not-secret is blown for good.
> 
> Please leave comments and kudos:)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm always open to writing a part 2 if there's interest, so let me know!
> 
> This fic happened for a lot of reasons. 1) I watched the Dark Matter episode and realized I've never read a Klance time loop fic, and 2) I've been in the mood for some s1-s2 Klance for a while. And 3) I also wanted to try and write a sex scene... but well, you saw what happened there which I actually enjoyed writing a lot more lol.
> 
> Please leave comments and kudos:)


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